Many conventional procedures for detection of bacteria in water and foods rely on the use of highly selective media. Injured cells sometimes do not grow on these inhibitory media. We are simplifying both MPN and direct-plating procedures so that cell recovery can be affected with a minimum of manipulation. For MPN procedures, timed-release capsules are added, at the time of inoculation, to presumptive (coliform) or pre-enrichment (salmonellae) broths. Selective ingredients are released over an 8-hour period, so that the medium gradually becomes fully selective. Thus, injured cells have an opportunity to recover before the medium becomes selective. The combined tests are being compared with existing, routine methods for coliform analyses and isolation/enumeration of salmonellae. For direct plating procedures, double-layer plates are used. One layer contains twice the normal concentration of selective ingredents. Bacteria are plated on or in a second layer that contains no selective ingredients. By the time that the selective ingredients have diffused through the agar to the bacterial cells, the cells have had an opportunity to recover. The use of double-layered plates has been examined for analyses of coliforms and staphylococci, in comparison with one or more conventional methods. In both MPN and direct-plating procedures, heat-stressed cultures as well as natural products have been examined.